


The Lotus Hitchhikers

by ACrazyCooki



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Alive Bianca di Angelo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Percy Jackson, Book 1: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson), Demigods, F/M, Happy Nico di Angelo, Lotus Hotel and Casino, M/M, Mythomagic (Percy Jackson), Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-27 19:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30127851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACrazyCooki/pseuds/ACrazyCooki
Summary: It was a safe haven -- a Heaven on Earth. Endless games and entertainment, fresh beds and water, wonderful food. Percy didn't see anything wrong with the place, hell, he might've stayed there forever if he could, at least not until he decided to socialize. That was when he realized that the Lotus Casino was not where he wanted to be.As he began to search for his friends so they could get out of the evil place, a kid stopped him."Do you want to play Mythomagic with me?"
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Bianca di Angelo & Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 46





	1. New Companions

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Do I Know You?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1535168) by [GhostQueen30](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostQueen30/pseuds/GhostQueen30). 



> This is inspired by Do I Know You? by GhostQueen30 -- it was made 7 years ago and was only one chapter long, never continued. I decided to slightly change it and continue it. Also, first work on AO3! POG!
> 
> I don't think my work is as good as some of the other stories on this website, but I thought I'd give it a try. So, hopefully, enjoy!

I said, "Hey, Darrin?"

"What?"

"What year is it?"

He frowned at me. "In the game?"

"No. In real life."

He had to think about it. "1977."

"No," I said, getting a little scared. "Really."

"Hey, man. Bad vibes. I got a game happening."

After that he totally ignored me.

I started talking to people, and found it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. I found a guy who told me it was 1985. Another guy told me it was 1993. They all claimed they hadn't been in here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They really didn't know and they didn't care.

Then it occurred to me: how long had I been here? It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it?

I tried to remember why we were here. We were going to Los Angeles. We were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. My mother...for a scary second, I had trouble remembering her name. Sally. Sally Jackson. I had to find her. I had to stop Hades from causing World War III.

I went to find Annabeth but couldn't see her anywhere. _Think. What game would she want to play? Where would I be if I was Anna-_

My thoughts were interrupted by a boy, maybe two or three years younger than me, bumping into me. “O-Oh, sorry!” he squeaked.

The boy looked up and I quickly examined his features. Dark silky hair, olive skin, dark, almost black eyes, and a flustered smile. He had on a brown puffy jacket with cards peeking out of the pockets. “Um, that’s okay.” I said, turning my eyes away from the kid and starting to walk away.

“Wait!” he called desperately, and I wondered for just a second if this mortal boy was actually a monster in disguise, trying to catch me. I quickly shook that thought away though, no way would a place like Lotus Casino lure monsters in. It was a trap for children, after all.

I turned around and he was in front of me. He pulled out some cards from a few of his pockets. “Do you want to play Mythomagic with me?” He said, a toothy grin plastered on his face.

I shifted uncomfortably and placed a hand in my pocket, gripping the pen inside. “Uhh, sorry, I need to leave.”

He huffed. “Of course. Everyone always ignores me here. Just one round?”

I couldn’t waste anymore time, every second that passed here was probably weeks down the drain. But even so, I couldn’t just let this mortal boy waste the rest of his life away in this arcade. “Look, you need to get out of here, okay? Time passes by in this place really fast, and I don’t wanna get trapped here like everyone else.”

“What do you mean?” The kid tilted his head to the side, which was, admittedly, very adorable. But not in _that way._ I mean he was cute, but only in an innocent child way. Not in whatever way you guys think up, which I’m sure I won’t like.

“What year is it?”

“1938, why?”

I stared at him in shock. That was like seventy years ago.

“I’m Nico by the way,” he added.

“Percy.” I replied. “Nico, it’s 2005.”

He laughed but I could hear the confusion in his voice.

“I-I’m being serious, you should get out of here.” I started to turn but a hand latched onto my wrist.

“Can- Can my sister and I go with you?”

My eyebrows furrowed together. No way could I bring a mortal, two mortals actually, with me on the quest. It was a suicide mission, and I didn’t want to drag two more people down with me, and, although I would never tell him that, Nico and his sister would’ve just made my quest harder and deadlier. So of course, the logical answer was to say no.

Nico stared up at me, his shaggy hair was getting in his eyes but he didn’t bother to fix it. My heart melted. 

“Yes.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could realize what I was saying.

Nico smiled at me, his cheeks slightly tinted red, and pulled me into a hug. “Thanks! Let me go find her!”

As he ran off I called, “Meet me at the entrance!” He stopped to nod and then continued dashing away.

I stood there for a few seconds, contemplating what I just agreed to before I remembered my task. I looked around for Annabeth and found her still at that building game.  _ Of course,  _ I thought.  _ Why didn’t I think she’d be here? _

She looked so focused I was caught off guard. She didn’t even look that focused when she stared at Luke. “Come on,” I said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

No response.

I shook her. “Annabeth?”

She looked up at me, annoyed. “What?”

“We need to leave.”

“Leave? What are you talking about? I’ve just got the towers-”

“This place is a trap.”

She didn’t respond until I shook her again. “What?”

“Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!”

“Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes.”

“Annabeth, there are people here from 1938. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever.”

“So?” she asked. “Can you imagine a better place?”

I grabbed her wrist and I yanked her away from the game.

“Hey!” she screamed and hit me, but nobody else even bothered looking at us. They were too busy with their games.

I made her look directly in my eyes and I said, “Spiders. Large, hairy spiders.”

That jarred her. Her vision cleared. “Oh my gods,” she said. “How long have we-”

“I don’t know, but we’ve got to find Grover.”

We eventually found him playing Virtual Deer Hunter and dragged him away from the game, literally. As we walked to the entrance, I remembered Nico. 

“Guys?” I started.

Annabeth curiously looked at me. Grover just hissed. “What is it, Percy?”

“I saw this kid when I was looking for you. He uh- he convinced me to.. Take him along?” 

She visibly paled in anger and I prayed to my dad, Poseidon, to not let me die like this. “We can’t take mortals with us, Percy!” she yelled. 

I scratched the back of my neck uncomfortably and used my other hand to fidget with Riptide. “Well, I couldn’t just leave him-..”

She sighed, stress evident in her voice. “Alright, that’s fine, Percy. We’ll just… dump him at an orphanage or something. Where is he?” 

“He said he and his sister would meet me at the entrance.”

“Holy Hera, he has a sister too?! Percy, what were you thinking?”

I bit my lip. “Sorry,” I mumbled, unsure of what to tell her.

We continued walking, Grover behind us getting dragged, until a bellhop appeared in front of us. “Well now, are you ready for your platinum cards?”

“We’re leaving,” I told him.

“Such a shame,” he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we’d be breaking his heart if we went. “We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members.”

He held out the cards, and I wanted one. I knew that if I took one. I’d never leave. I’d stay here, happy forever, playing games forever, and soon I’d forget my mom, and my quest, and maybe even my own name. I’d be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever.

Grover reached for the card, but Annabeth yanked back his arm and said, “No thanks.”

We walked past the bellhop and to the entrance.

There, at the entrance, I saw Nico and an older girl who looked about my age, who I guessed was his sister from their similar features. She had his dark silky hair and olive skin. Nico noticed me and waved, a smile spread across his face. “Percy!”

Annabeth gave me a look as we walked over to the two. “We should get going now.” I said. “These are my friends, Annabeth and Grover. They’re coming too.”

Nico nodded before pointing to his sister. “This is my sister Bianca!” Bianca stared at me skeptically and I got the feeling that she didn’t trust me. 

“Come on,” Annabeth said, leading us out the door as she pulled Grover along by the wrist. We walked behind her, and I could see the struggle Nico and Bianca were having on their faces. I couldn’t really blame them-- I also felt it. The smell of food and the sounds of the games seeming to get more and more inviting, the thought of our hotel room upstairs, with its flat screen television and fluffy beds. Was it really that bad to just stay  _ one  _ more night? Just one wouldn’t hurt. . . .

We burst out the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we’d gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert. 

Ares’s backpack was slung over my shoulder, which was odd, because I was sure I had thrown it in the trash can in room 4001, but at the moment I had other problems to worry about. 

I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when Annabeth, Grover and I went in. Then I noticed the date.: June twentieth.

We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

We had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest. One day to find a way to ditch these mortals.


	2. Alright Team, Change of Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If they're roleplaying the Greek gods, Nico wants to be Hades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is so late! (Or is it? Idk normal update times.) The same day I released the first chapter, I went on a vacation to Santa Barbara for about a week. That place is seriously overrated by the way. Anyway, here's the next chapter, I personally think it is really crappy, since I just started writing it at 3:50 AM and finished it in like 7 hours, but hey, maybe some of you guys might enjoy it.

It was Annabeth's idea.

She loaded all five of us into a Vegas taxi as if we had money and told the taxi driver, "Los Angeles, please." 

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. “That’s three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front.”

Bianca and Nico looked at each other nervously like they weren’t sure what to do. 

I could relate.

“You accept casino debit cards?” Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. “Some of ‘em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe ‘em through first.”

Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

“Swipe it,” Annabeth invited.

He did.

His meter machine startled rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver’s mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide. “Where to in Los Angeles… uh, Your Highness?”

“The Santa Monica Pier.” Annabeth sat up a little straighter. I could tell she liked the “Your Highness” thing. “Get us there fast, and you can keep the change.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have told him that. The cab’s speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the road, we had plenty of time to talk. Grover had snapped out of his trance by then, so I clued him in on what was going on. I noticed his eyebrows furrow together as I hinted toward the fact that Nico and Bianca were mortals, but I kept talking. And, despite Annabeth’s constant glares that warned,  _ They’re going to find out, _ the di Angelos never seemed to pick up on the demigod hints I dropped for Grover. 

When I was done, I explained my latest dream to them, but the details seemed to get sketchier the more I tried to remember them. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited my memory. I couldn’t recall what the invisible servant’s voice had sounded like, though I was sure it was somebody I knew. The servant had called the monster in the pit something other than “my lord” . . . some special name or title. . . .

“The Silent One?” Annabeth suggested. “The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades.”

“Maybe,” I said, though neither sounded quite right.

“That throne room sounds like Hades’s,” Grover said. “That’s the way it’s usually described.”

I shook my head. “Something’s wrong. The throne room wasn’t the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit . . . I don’t know. It just didn’t feel like a god’s voice.”

Annabeth’s eyes widened but Bianca spoke before I could say anything. “Umm, not to be rude or anything, but why do you guys care so much about his dream?” She held a skeptical look in her eyes, as if she was determining whether or not we were wackjobs.

I cursed under my breath. Right, the mortals.

“We uh, like to pretend that the Greek gods are real people . . . for fun.” I laughed awkwardly.

I looked to Annabeth to say something but she wasn’t even paying attention, instead muttering how  _ it has to be Hades, it’s not possible for  _ him  _ to reform already!  _ With the same shocked expression she’d been holding for the past minute.

I sighed. I could ask her about that later. But making up a convincing lie was a bigger issue at the moment. 

“We’re like, acting out that Hades is starting a war. But uh, I don’t know whether I want Hades to start it or someone else.” I explained.

Nico nodded eagerly, excitement buzzing in his eyes. “The Greek gods? Like the ones in my Mythomagic cards?!” He squealed. “Can I be Hades?”

I said something really intelligent in response, like “Uhhh what?”

He started to say, “Can I be Hades” again but Grover cut him off.

“Percy, I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.” I turned to Grover and found him nervously glancing at the di Angelos. Which, if you’re a half-blood, is never a good sign. I tensed up and eyed him expectantly.

Grover then yelled, “Stop here for a bit! I need to use the restroom!” The cabbie sighed but the car slowed to a halt at the side of the highway. Grover got out and I followed after him, but to my surprise, he told me to stay inside. Instead, he urged Bianca and Nico to follow him out. 

I stared at the trio, trying to understand what he was planning. Annabeth, who I just realized wasn’t muttering anymore, looked about as confused as I was. Grover and the di Angelos stood out there for a minute or two before Grover led them back into the taxi. He got back in after a few more seconds and told the driver to step on it, and I didn’t miss the panic in his voice.

Grover sat in silence and Annabeth and I looked at him for answers. He mouthed,  _ I’ll tell you when we get to L.A.  _ Right in time too, as I saw wasteland roll by just seconds after, along with a sign that read  _ CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES. _

For the rest of the trip, I talked with Nico and played Mythomagic with him. He taught me how it worked and beat me mercilessly at it. And, admittedly, I might’ve cared a lot more than I let on. Especially when he defeated my Poseidon with his Zeus.

“You lose!” He cheered after winning for the sixth time in a row. I was about to say some witty remark back, but then the taxi stopped. 

“We’re here,” the cabbie said while he chewed on his cigar. Annabeth, Grover and I all mumbled a ‘thanks’ and Nico and Bianca said ‘thank you’ and we all got out of the car. He took off as soon as we were all out.

Noting that it was sunset, I looked around at the Santa Monica Pier, and it looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

We walked down to the edge of the surf.

“What now?” Annabeth asked.

Grover looked around to check if anyone else was near. I checked too. No one.

He tapped on my shoulder lightly and then whispered into my ear, “Percy, Bianca and Nico are half-bloods. And they’re powerful ones too.” 

My jaw dropped.

Grover turned and then whispered what I assume was the same thing to Annabeth, and she had about the same reaction. 

“What is it?” Bianca asked.

I looked at her in awe before turning to Annabeth. “Okay,” I said quietly, only loud enough for her and Grover to hear. “Change of plan, maybe let’s  _ not  _ dump them off at an orphanage?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Annabeth agreed sternly. “Should we tell them right now?”

“I think it’s better if we tell them now.” Grover suggested. “If we don’t do it now, we’ll probably need to shield them from a lot of things later. Like what Percy’s dream could mean.”

I nodded. 

“Let’s tell them then,” Annabeth sighed.

We all turned back to the two siblings, who were whispering their own conversation uncomfortably. 

“Nico,” I said. He cocked an eyebrow. “Bianca,” She looked at me as she held her brother’s hand protectively. “You know the gods -- the Greek gods -- in Mythomagic?”

Nico’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! They’re really cool!”

“Well, um, the acting we did earlier wasn’t acting, it was- . . . they’re uh- . . . we um. . . .”

“Oh my gods, Percy,” Annabeth groaned. “The gods are real, and we’re their kids.”

Bianca, for the first time since meeting her, let out an actual laugh. “You- you don’t expect us to believe that, right?”

As if only to weaken her point, Nico shouted, “No way! You guys are gods?!” 

“Not that loud,” Annabeth warned. “There could be monsters near.” She looked around carefully before continuing. “We’re not gods, we’re half-bloods. Half-human, half-god. And Grover isn’t a half-blood, just me and Percy.”

Nico’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. Bianca looked unsure.

“What is he?” Nico wondered.

“A satyr.” I replied. “Half-goat, half-human. He protects the wild, I think.”

Bianca asked, “How do we know you guys aren’t lying?”

“Here,” I handed her Riptide. She stared at it in confusion.

“What do I do with this?”

“Uncap it.”

She uncapped the pen. 

“What the- oh my god!” Bianca cried as the blade just narrowly missed her hair.

“That’s my sword, Riptide. It’s made with celestial bronze, so it only hurts immortals.” I said.

Nico grabbed Riptide from his sister’s hands and studied it in amazement. 

Then, Annabeth grabbed her cap from her bag and held it out to the two. “Watch.”

They watched as she placed the hat onto her head and completely vanished from our sight.

And to top it all off, Grover removed his fake legs and revealed his hooves, which just left the di Angelos in a state of shock.

Okay, so, maybe not the best idea to lay everything on them at once?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods, Percy, the term is "roleplaying" not 'acting out.' Get with the times dude!
> 
> Anyway, I don't really have an update schedule at the moment, because inspiration is a flickering light that leads me to write like 4 chapters in two days and then not post for a whole month. But I'll try to do at least one chapter every week, or every two weeks.
> 
> Kudos are appreciated! Even if you didn't like this chapter, you should leave kudos anyway so my already giant ego can be inflated even more! :DDD

**Author's Note:**

> I feel that Percy is canonically straight, but I'm making him bisexual here because, y'know, this is a Pernico story. I didn't want to make him 100% gay because I think his interactions with Annabeth, Calypso and Rachel hold some weight in PJO and if he ended up not fancying them at all, I think the series would've had a very different ending. Anyway, kudos are appreciated! They encourage me to write more.


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